r 4 o RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



government of Egypt. His successor was the 

 youngest son of Mchemet Ali, whom I had known 

 well as a child, and taught to ride. He was 

 enormously fat, and I made him take exercise, much 

 to the delight of his father. This lad, who was very 

 intelligent, was made to learn fourteen lessons a day. 

 Mehemet Ali said to me one day, " As you are inte- 

 rested in my son, here are his notes. " I told him 

 that I did not wish to see them, as I could not read 

 even then very well, and all I wanted to see was the 

 last column showing his weight for the past and the 

 present week. If there was an increase I should 

 punish him, if there was a decrease I should reward 

 him. 



When I learnt my pupil's elevation to power, I 

 wrote to congratulate him, and he replied, begging me 

 to come and see him at once. As since my retirement 

 I had studied in detail all the questions relating to 

 the Suez Canal, I was perfectly familiar with the 

 isthmus, and I was perfectly satisfied of the possi- 

 bility of cutting the canal an enterprise which had 

 taken possession of my imagination after reading the 

 memoirs of Lepere, the head engineer in the expedi- 

 tion of General Bonaparte. 



I resumed my former investigations, being con- 

 vinced that I should obtain the concession. 



The Viceroy sent for me to come to Cairo, where he 

 was about to assume possession of power, and he at 

 once called together his generals to consult them on 



